Best Children's Books

Summer means summer reading in my house, as I know it does in homes all over the country. I've always thought that reading to kids is one of the most important things we can do as parents, which is why I've always tried to carry a good selection of classic kids books at The Warm Biscuit Bedding Co. Pretty soon I can expect the dinning room table to be covered with bits of clay and scraps of paper as my boys make dioramas based on their favorite book they read for summer. Anyway, I was excited to see a New York Times article that looks at top books for kids, with a range of difficulty levels.

Some of the books mentions are classics that I knew about, but several were totally new to me. Always great to get new ideas for books for my boys to enjoy!

Monday Giveaway

Hope you all had a great 4th of July weekend. Fourth of July is a favorite of mine--any excuse to eat great BBQ and see friends & family is good in my book. The family and I had a great time watching fireworks from the roof of a friend of ours this year.

Congratulations to Windycindy for winning the paper doll art. Expect an email!

This week we are giving away something that is great for any parent looking to create a special keepsake of their child. This pewter school photo frame comes with 13 openings, one for each year of school from 1st grade to 12th grade, and one opening for a baby photograph or other photo of your choice.

Here's how to win:

1. Leave a comment your favorite childhood photo or favorite picture of one of your kids.
2. Mention how you found this site
3. Check out the Warm Biscuit Bedding Co. to see what other back to school items they carry, and let us know what you think.
4. Make sure I can contact you! Either leave an email address in your comment, or make sure that you have contact information on your blog profile.

You can receive an extra entry towards this giveaway if you link to this give-away in your blog and put that link in your comment. Or Twitter this giveaway and follow me on Twitter.

The give-away is open for entries until Sunday, July 12th, at 11:59 PM. Winners will be chosen at random, and announced Monday afternoon. Good luck!

Note: At this time, the Warm Biscuit Bedding Co. cannot ship give-away items internationally. They apologize for the inconvenience to all of you great people living outside of the U.S.

Monday Giveaway

Hope you all had a great weekend! The family and I went out to Coney Island for a day of swimming, making sand castles, and eating ice-cream. It was a blast.

Congratulations to Priscila for winning the pirate treasure chest! You can expect an email soon.

This week we will be giving away our paper doll wall art. This sweet paper doll wall art makes a charming addition to any little girls room. This original art work by artist Samantha Hagan was handmade by decoupaging the art on a charming scalloped wooden frame. This paper doll wall art measures 9 in x 11 in w.

Here's how to win:

1. Leave a comment your favorite artwork your child has done.
2. Mention how you found this site
3. Check out the Warm Biscuit Bedding Co. to see what other kids art they carry, and let us know what you think.
4. Make sure I can contact you! Either leave an email address in your comment, or make sure that you have contact information on your blog profile.

You can receive an extra entry towards this giveaway if you link to this give-away in your blog and put that link in your comment. Or Twitter this giveaway and follow me on Twitter.

The give-away is open for entries until Sunday, July 5th, at 11:59 PM. Winners will be chosen at random, and announced Monday afternoon. Good luck!

Note: At this time, the Warm Biscuit Bedding Co. cannot ship give-away items internationally. They apologize for the inconvenience to all of you great people living outside of the U.S.

Add pizzazz to your 4th of July picnic table!

Celebrate Summer.

Add pizzazz to your 4th of July picnic table!
(watermelon NOT included!).

Now on sale!

http://warmbiscuit.com/4th-of-july-plate-set.html

http://warmbiscuit.com/4th-of-july-serving-trays.html

Psst..Our bestselling Beachy Keen Totes are now in!
Your little fashionista will sail into summer with style carrying our colorful totes.

http://warmbiscuit.com/bright-floral-tote-bags.html

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http://twitter.com/vickibodwell

Become a fan on Facebook
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CPSIA - Childrens Regulations

I blogged awhile ago about how the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), while it has great intentions in terms of protecting kids, the way it goes about it is not always actually helpful in keeping kids safe and it is extremely damaging to small businesses.

A few weeks ago was a guest on David Rushkoff’s WFNU radio show, The Media Squat, with Heather Flottmann, owner of Liliputians, and fellow member of the Handmade Toy Alliance. On the program we talked about the impact of this new legislation on small businesses. You can read a little about what we had to say here.

Since I last blogged about this, it became official that I am no longer allowed to sell any more of our best selling lounge-around-the-housewear. I made a choice to make completely organic clothes because my middle child is allergic to pretty much any chemical, and so I knew their were parents out there like me desperate to find cute organic clothes. Yet since the product could be mistaken for pajamas, even though I did not adveritse them as pajamas, and because they were not treated with anti-flamatory chemicals (which are proven to reduce the size of boys testicles, and are extremely harsh and unstudied in full) the government deems them unsafe and unfit for kids. So that's my beef with government regulation going to far!

Don't get me wrong-- much of the time, I encourage government to keep consumers safe and hold companies accountable. But before small companies get targeted for products that are not actually unsafe, let's hold Big Tabacco more accountable, or the car companies more accountable for their bad business decisons.

If you want to be able to find handmade toys or other children's products, I encourage you to write to your representitives in Congress. If this legislation continues, I can promise you it won't be long till everything is mass produced, with artisans and craftspeople completely squeezed out. Let's make sure this never happens!

Monday Giveaway

I hope all of you had a great weekend! It was full of rain in New York, but there were moments of sunshine that let us squeeze in some family fun and Father's Day celebrations. My dad is visiting right now, so that was a special treat. Plus my oldest son graduated from elementary school! It was such a sweet and nice event, and it was great to have my dad there in support. All the kids had a lot of fun, and they had a little dance for them on the blacktop at the playground.

Congratulations to Naddez for winning a floral lampshade. Expect an email soon!

This week the Warm Biscuit Bedding Co. will giveaway a toy that is sure to bring lots of creative playtime, either outside this summer, or inside during rainy days.

Every little pirate needs a sturdy strongbox for his plundered bottle caps and baseball cards. Help your little boy keep his collections safe with this wooden pirate chest. Comes equipped with a skull shaped lock, metal handles and secret hiding compartment for pirate booty. Includes sack of gold coins, eye patch and flag for pirate play.

Here's how to win:

1. Leave a comment your favorite pretend game as a kid.
2. Mention how you found this site
3. Check out the Warm Biscuit Bedding Co. to see what other kids toys they carry, and let us know what you think.
4. Make sure I can contact you! Either leave an email address in your comment, or make sure that you have contact information on your blog profile.

You can receive an extra entry towards this giveaway if you link to this give-away in your blog and put that link in your comment. Or Twitter this giveaway and follow me on Twitter.

The give-away is open for entries until Sunday, June 28th, at 11:59 PM. Winners will be chosen at random, and announced Monday afternoon. Good luck!

Note: At this time, the Warm Biscuit Bedding Co. cannot ship give-away items internationally. They apologize for the inconvenience to all of you great people living outside of the U.S.

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Here's a letter I wrote to my Grandma in honor surviving the last nine decades, and all the time with a smile on her face! Hope you enjoy:

Grandma-

On your 90^th birthday, my gift is to tell you of all the gifts you have given me over the last 44 years.

I am lucky that way! You've taught me how important it is to take a compliment with grace and sincerity. After your visit to New York to meet Henry, I had taken pictures of you the old fashioned way with film! It wasn't until after you left that I had a chance to have them developed. I immediately called you and said, Grandma, you look beautiful! Your skin is literally glowing. To which you replied, I am lucky that way! Here you taught me how good it feels when someone ACCEPTS gracefully and simply a compliment!

Girls always look better in pink. This was funny to hear especially as I was going through my nothing-but-black New York phase. Ha! I scoffed at color. Then one day, when I obviously needed to do laundry, I was forced to wear a pink blouse. I swear, people came out of the woodwork. Wow. You look great. Did you cut your hair? No, I am wearing PINK! And I now I wear a lot of color and feel happier because of it.

Everyone has a different happiness scale. This life lesson has helped me so much in understanding my kids. Remember when you can to NYC after Wesley was born with Jennifer? Jennifer was a typical moody teenager and I was a hormonal, post-pregnant train wreck! I was obsessed with making Jennifer happy. In fact, I lost it on the street with her, demanding her to tell me what it was that she wanted. You calmly said to me, Vicki, maybe Jennifer is the happiest she can be at this moment. Everyone has a different happiness scale! This is brilliant in its simplicity and perfect for celebrating my boys differences.

The importance of lists! Ooh, I have to write that down! Grandma you are the Queen of Lists. Grocery lists, Funny cartoons, Check Ups, Calls to make, Foods in the freezer, if you can write it down, then it goes on a list! I used to try and keep it all in my head and failed over and over again. Now, I make lists!

Worry is wasted energy. This is my constant struggle and I think Ive called you MANY a time when I am beside myself with worry. I still imagine your telling me this and yet I manage to worry. One day (hopefully soon!), Ill master this very important lesson!

There are some things in life you'll NEVER understand. After 9/11, I was trying like mad to understand WHY my world was turned upside down and sideways. Why people Id never met hated me, my family and my country so much. I called you hysterical crying wanting to know you how you felt after you got the news of Ray Tomes death. You told me how you spent along time asking yourself why and then realized you would never get to a satisfying answer. I stopped asking and still don't understand.

Want the things you have. This is from a quote you had in your bathroom most of my life. I used to try and memorize it exactly and this is all I ever could remember. So in today's wacky economy, this is one lesson we all could use more of MORE of as it is so true! I try and make sure my kids hear it enough so that they grow up WANTING the things they HAVE!

Be generous. There are so many examples of your generosity too many to count. I love how this is part of your daily routine. You seem to make giving an everyday part of your life. There is one time I think of the most (and one I know you don't even remember!) I was in college. You know that I paid my way through UT and had to work full time to do it. However, you didn't know that I had to drive 40 minutes away to get to work which required LOTS of gas. I came home one day to an empty gas tank and an equally empty bank balance. Having NO idea how I was going to get to work (keep my job) etc., I was depressed. I for some unknown reason, I decided to get my mail (usually an activity I avoided as it was usually FILLED with notices from my bank telling me about all the bad checks I had written!). Instead, there was a letter from you. Vicki, I don't know why, but I somehow felt like you might need this and carefully tucked inside there was a crisp $10 bill. Grandma, I felt like I had won the lottery! That day taught me how random acts of kindness can change a person!

Forgive yourself. This is the gift that I count as the most precious. We all are imperfect and have our moments. You have helped me understand the joys and pitfalls of being a parent and wife. You taught me its okay to break down (but make sure you are in the shower!) and that tomorrow will always be better!

Thank you for all your gifts youve given me over the years. You have given me so much and I am grateful to have you in my life. Happy birthday, Grandma!